Travis Barker must be feeling a little better after his September 19 plane crash-- he's giving interviews! After being initially hospitalized in Georgia, Travis transferred closer to home to the Grossman Burn Center in L.A., but because he was too afraid to fly (uh, we would be too!), he traveled by bus with his dad and ex-wife Shanna Moakler. "I hate planes," he tells Us Weekly. "My biggest fear ever is to be involved in a plane crash, so when that happened ... well, I'm just thankful to be alive! I'm just grateful to be here at all."

While his injuries are substantial, Travis is making progress in his recovery. "I am doing the best I can possibly be. I'm so anxious to get out of here," he says. "I've just been in surgery after surgery. I have third degree burns basically from my feet up to my waist and both hands. One of my hands was second degree burns and one was third degree burns. I'm trying to have a quick recovery and play the drums again and be able to hold my kids again. I'm going nuts not being able to see them and spend time with them!"

So Travis is fully committed to getting better -- he's even eating meat again after being a vegetarian for more than 25 years! "I need protein from food rather than just protein supplements," he says. "I changed my diet. I would do anything I possibly could if they said like, 'There's a possibility you might heal faster if you do eat meat or just change your eating habits.' So I did. I don't regret it at all, I feel so much better." Consequently, he may be getting out of the hospital soon. "I think if this surgery went well, I'll be here for at most two weeks," he says.

Meanwhile, pals of DJ AM are throwing him a benefit party. "We owe him a debt of gratitude that we can never repay, but we hope this helps just a bit," the organizers said in a statement. The shindig, which will take place on October 14 in L.A., will include performances by fellow celeb DJs Mark Ronson, Steve Aoki, Danny Masterson, and Mixmaster Mike. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to the memorial funds established for the crash victims.